“Why do you keep talking about winning a national championship?”: Geno Auriemma reveals ex-UConn star’s eye-opening question that changed his focus

Geno Auriemma shared his insights with Brett Ledbetter in the latter's "What Drives Winning" series, revealing several coaching tidbits during his illustrious career at UConn. In the episode "The Psychology of Feedback," Auriemma talked openly about his obsession with winning in the NCAA and what made him change his approach with the Huskies.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as the Huskies take on the Holy Cross Crusaders at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Photo: Imagn

In the interview, Auriemma mentioned that former UConn star Svetlana Abrosimova helped him change his perspective on winning. She played for the Huskies from 1997 to 2001, helping UConn win the NCAA title in 2000.

Auriemma shared that Abrosimova urged him to change his focus on the Huskies capturing a national championship every season. She argued that Auriemma was putting more pressure on himself and the team by always mentioning the championship goal.

"I learned from my Russian kid Svetlana Abrosimova when doing her second or third year. She said, 'Coach, why do you keep talking about winning a national championship? Everybody already knows that’s why we’re here. So stop talking about it and just move on,'" Auriemma recalled. (Timestamp 7:10)

Auriemma took a step back when he heard that from Abrosimova. She helped him realize that he just had to focus on improving his players daily during practice and the results would follow.

"That made me start to understand. The more you talk about winning, the more you talk about the ultimate goal, the more you’re confusing them. Coach, you said we had to get better today; we have to improve today than yesterday. Just focus on that instead of March, March, March, March. I used to spend so much time on the national championship, the Final Four. And now I’ve completely gotten rid of that."

UConn's Geno Auriemma becomes winningest coach in NCAA history

That change in mindset has evidently workes for Auriemma. The Huskies have benefited from his new coaching philosophy, winning a record 11 NCAA titles under his watch, including a historic four-peat from 2013 to 2016.

No. 2 UConn's bid to win a 12th title this 2024-25 season remains on track. Paige Bueckers and the rest of the Huskies have started the season 8-0, winning by an average of 30.9 points during that stretch.

Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (left) celebrates head coach Geno Auriemma setting the all time NCAA wins record with guard Azzi Fudd (35). Photo: Imagn

Auriemma grabbed the headlines recently when he became the winningest coach in NCAA history. He recorded his 1,221st win as UConn coach following the Huskies' 85-52 victory over then No. 22 Louisville on Nov. 20.